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TILT's 25th Anniversary Year: Events in May

TILT's anniversary events in May will revolve around "Future of data protection" and is organized by Raphaël Gellert and Nadya Purtova.

Future of data protection

Data protection law sets the rules for processing of personal data in order to provide legal protection against possible negative consequences associated with such processing. When personal data is processed, data protection principles, rights and obligations apply, and otherwise they do not. However, a consensus is growing that an increasing range of data should be considered personal, and some even argue that everything is personal data, among others, because everything in our environments is or contains information. These developments raise a number of questions: what is information and where do the boundaries of information lie in terms of its relationship to meaning, and physical media? What is the state of the art of data analytics now and what implications does it have for the kinds and scale of impact of data processing on people? In the increasing digital environment where every interaction is being mediated by digital data, what can we expect from data protection law? What are its biggest challenges? Finally, if everything is personal data, is a legal regime triggered by this notion sustainable in the long-run and how should the future data protection law look like?

The following events will take place in May:

Keynote Lecture: William Staples

28th of May, 16.00-17.30

Blackbox, Esplanade Building (coffee/tea before in Blackbox and drinks afterwards in the Esplanade)

William G. Staples is Professor of Sociology, Chair of the Department of Sociology, and Founding Director of the Surveillance Studies Research Center at the University of Kansas. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA. Staples is well-known internationally for his work in the areas of social control and surveillance. He is the author of five books and dozens of articles and chapters. His most recent work is the second edition of Everyday Surveillance: Vigilance and Visibility in Postmodern Life, considered a foundational work in the interdisciplinary field of Surveillance Studies. Staples is past Co-Editor of Sociological Inquiry, The Sociological Quarterly, and is currently Associate Editor of Surveillance & Society, the international journal of the Surveillance Studies Network.

Abstract:

Real-Time Grade Books and the Metric Culture of Schooling
In my book, Everyday Surveillance (2014), I focus on the relatively mundane techniques of keeping a close watch of people – what I have dubbed the 'Tiny Brothers' – that are increasingly present in the workplace, school, home, and community. Nearly all these kinds of 'data sponges' collect quantified measurements regarding an individual's movements, behaviors, and activities. In some cases, these technologies encourage 'self-’ or 'participatory monitoring' so that workers, students, and others may use the information collected to improve their own standing. One example of this phenomenon are internet-based student information systems (SIS) that offer students, parents, teachers, and administrator's immediate access to detailed student profiles. One feature called 'Student View' permits learners to view their teacher's grade book in real-time. I will report on in-depth interviews with a sample of these school stakeholders focused on how some students engage in intensified 'self-tracking' of performance metrics. Interviewees report that the system encourages high performing students to obsessively monitor their grades through smartphones and other devices, frequently comparing their performance metrics with other students, and generating anxiety for themselves and their parents. Consequently, participant narratives suggest these systems intensify both organizational and 'participatory monitoring' of student performance and foster micro-level assessments of their everyday lives.